The New England Revolution came from behind to beat the Philadelphia Union on decision day. This win at Gillette Stadium secures fifth spot for Clint Peay’s side in the Eastern Conference and as a result, Philly will be their first playoff opponents.
New England Get the Better of Their Playoff Opponents
Gustavo Bou Fires Revs to Three Points with Decision Day Double
Jacob Jackson started in goal for the Revs for the second game running and he was heavily involved in the first goal of this game. Neither him or Dave Romney were in full control of the situation with Julian Carranza the man to take control of the situation for the away side.
Jackson spoke to the Revs media and had this to say on the mix-up. “I think I can look back on that and look about how I spoke to Romney. He couldn’t hear me, and I think that’s on me. As the goalie, you’ve got to be loud and command everything. So, I take blame for the goal.”
Another one for Gustavo Bou!@NERevolution take the lead just before the break. pic.twitter.com/cPmC05R0y0
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 21, 2023
After Carranza netted his 14th of the season, taking him level with Daniel Gazdag at the top of the Union scoring charts, Gustavo Bou hit back for the home side. The Argentine international has been in and out of the squad with injuries and so this was the perfect time for him to find the back of the net against the playoffs.
Bou’s first goal against the Revs’ upcoming playoff opponents came from the penalty spot, Damian Lowe’s handball as the cause of it all. La Pantera as he is affectionately nicknamed, was then put through on goal by Carles Gil. Andre Blake got behind Bou’s shot only for the ball to squirm over his head, completing the Revs’ comeback.
When discussing his two goals for the Revolution, Bou was keen to heap all of the praise upon his teammates. First he gave his thanks to Gil for allowing him to take the penalty and he then said this: “I always try to adapt to my teammates just as much as I adapt to any position. I have great teammates who get me great opportunities in front of the goal to score.”
Seeing Future Playoff Opponents Up Close and Personal
This game was hugely important for the Revs as it ends their three-game winless streak and gives them that winning feeling heading into the playoffs. As well as that, with Philly being their first playoff opponents, this team know that they are capable of beating them and have won the first mental battle.
When asked about the prospect of facing the Union once again, Clint Peay had this to say. “It’s going to be a difficult game. You can see they’re a physical team, they’re aggressive, they’ve got a lot of size, so set pieces is an area where in these sort of games, you can lock it down and just play for percentages of set pieces and things like that. So I think in a knockout sort of situation, they’re a difficult to team to face, because they don’t mind that you have the ball.”
4⃣
5⃣
See you soon, @PhilaUnion
#MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/VBrkfZekpL
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) October 22, 2023
Meanwhile, defender Andrew Farrell offered a more optimistic perspective about what is to come. “We’re playing against a team that we just beat… Once you get to the playoffs, anything can happen, like I said. And I think we have a good team when we show up. And if we show up, then we can play with anybody.”
Can the Revolution get the job done once again when they cross paths with the 2020 Supporters’ Shield champions?
Featured image credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports: Oct 21, 2023.
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